Just Like The Moon Does We Rise And Shine And Fall
by Jord-El
Summary: Her knowledge of Superman's true identity does not sway or influence her opinion of Clark Kent. She doesn't put him down, or treat him as invisible. Nor does she revere Superman.
1. Chapter 1

Emily clicked the 'post reply' button, and leaned back into her chair, relaxed. She had just typed out an extensive review of one of her favorite stories, and finished writing the last chapter of her own. She had lurked on a forum called 'The Daily Planet', reading Superman-related fan fiction for about a month, before registering an account and starting her own story.

She closed the internet browser, and shut down her computer before retiring to bed for the night. She had to be up early for work in the morning, and her days had been tiring lately_...if only she knew what tomorrow had in store for her_.

When Emily awoke the next morning, it was not in her own room. It was not even in her own _house. _She sat up dazedly, her eyes sweeping around the room, before coming to rest on the wooden framed glass door, leading out to a balcony.

'No, this is most definitely _not_ mine,' she thought.

Sliding out of bed slowly, she made her way to the balcony, treading lightly on the soft carpet. Gripping the doorknob, she opened the balcony door, and as she stepped out, she was overcome by an amazing sight. In all its' breathtaking beauty, stood a city she had only seen in fiction. She could see the iconic globe on top of The Daily Planet.

She breathed in the crisp morning air, and reveled in the glow of the rising sun. She did not know how she had arrived, or why she was here, but she knew one thing for sure. She could get used to Metropolis.

Slipping on the fluffy robe that hung over the end of her bed, she secured it before beginning her exploration of the house. She half expected to find another person in the penthouse apartment with her, but it appeared uninhabited by anybody other than herself. She walked down the small flight of stairs leading to the lower level of the penthouse. Her hand caressed the smooth mahogany of the banister as she slowly made her way down the stairs.

Upon reaching the kitchen, she saw a layer of post-it-notes stuck to the refrigerator door. Curious, she took a closer look. Some notes read things quite simple, such as 'Buy Milk.' Others were considerably different. One note struck her eye, _**'get to The Planet early on Thursday - meeting with Lois.'**_

So not only did she live in metropolis - she worked at The Daily Planet..that meant..she _must_ know Clark Kent...?

'If only the girls on 'The Planet' could see me now,' she mused, fixing herself some cereal for breakfast. Once the bowl was empty, she made her way upstairs, intent on a hot shower before leaving for work. She adjusted the temperature of the water, before slipping out of her clothes and stepping into the shower.

Freshly showered, the dark haired woman made her way to the closet, selecting a black pencil skirt and a long-sleeved white blouse. She chose a pearl necklace to complement the outfit, and some plain black high heels.

Fully dressed, she made her way back to the bathroom, humming to herself as she lined her dark blue eyes with a warm bronze colour.

When she was finally ready to leave for work, Emily left the apartment, and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor.

It wasn't until almost an hour later that she arrived at the Bullpen, coffee in hand.


	2. Chapter 2

"Moore! My office, now!" Perry's gruff voice interrupted Emily's musings. It was probably for the best, she thought, seeing as she still had no idea where her desk was..or even what her job title was, for that matter.

"Coming, Chief!" She made her way through the maze of desks, and was almost at her destination when her eyes caught sight of Clark Kent. Her first thought was that the movies didn't nearly do him justice. Her second thought; 'oh, crap! I'm falling!'

She managed to catch herself just on time, though, and suffered no more than the embarrassment of a large stumble. Blushing furiously, she readjusted her blouse. Gripping her luckily unspilt coffee in one hand, she pushed open the door to Perry White's office with the other.

"Morning, Chief." She said, coming to a stop in front of Perry's desk. He looked up at her with a slightly miffed expression. It was then that she remembered his disdain at being called 'Chief'.

"Don't call me Chief! I have another story for you to work on. You and Clark Kent are going to team up for this one. He started here while you were on vacation." Perry said, shuffling through some papers on his desk before finding the sheet he was looking for. He held it out to her, and she took it from his hand, eyes scanning it briefly. Oh no.

"Uhm..that's fine, Mr White...so which one is Clark?" She asked, feigning ignorance, her eyes scanning the desks in the bullpen.

"He sits at the desk next to yours. Hold on." Perry got up from his seat, walking to the office door and opening it. He stuck his head out through the gap.

"Kent!" She watched as Clark stood up from his desk, knocking his stapler off the desk and fumbling to catch it. She felt a pang of sympathy for him. How hard it must be, to hold up such an act for so long.

"Mr White?" Clark walked through the door. He looked at Emily curiously, before his vision shifted back to Perry, who was once again in this seat.

"Clark, this is Emily Moore, your new partner. Emily, this is Clark Kent. You'll both be working together on the 'New Krypton' incident." Emily saw Clark's jaw harden slightly, but other than that, he showed no signs of objection. At that moment, they were interrupted by Perry's assistant bursting into the room, telling him there was an emergency in the copying room. Perry excused himself, and ran off to attend to the problem, leaving Clark and Emily alone.

"Nice to meet you, Emily." Clark smiled warmly. She stood up from her chair, returning the smile.

"Likewise, I've heard great things about you, Mr Kent." Emily said, her playful smile offsetting the formality of addressing him by his title. She offered her hand for him to shake, and he gently took in in his own.

"Really? Don't tell me...Jimmy?" He said in a bemused voice. Emily smiled knowingly, but shook her head.

"Not exactly..let's just say I have my sources," Clark's eyes widened almost inperceptibly, "now what do you say to a cup of coffee?" She suggested. She couldn't actually believe that she was asking Kal-El..Superman, of all people, to go grab a cup of coffee with her. Clark's eyes softened in relief.

"I'd love to."

\S/ \S/

Later that afternoon found Clark and Emily still in the small cafe on the Metropolis waterfront, a few blocks away from The Daily Planet. Clark had excused himself a few times, to get a 'refill'. She knew better, though, and would smile knowingly once Clark had turned his back. He had, however, came back with a new coffee each time. Emily was once again reminded of the extent Clark went to keep his secret, and felt almost guilty for knowing...almost.

"So, where did you grow up?" Clark asked, fumbling with a sugar packet as he stirred cream into his coffee. He finally managed to open the sugar packet, and sugar spilled fourth from the packet, scattering across the frosted glass table. Emily blew the sugar off the table, before answering the question.

"Iowa." She answered honestly, thinking about the all-in-all weirdness of the situation.

"Really..so how did you get to working at The Planet?" Clark looked curious.

"Honestly?...I have no idea."


	3. Chapter 3

When it started to reach nightfall, Emily's eyes widened. She looked at her watch, and an expression of panic swept across her face.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked, worried. She tore her eyes away from her watch, and looked at Clark.

"We've been gone from the office all day! Perry will have a fit!" She answered. The one problem she had with arriving in this universe was the fact that she had no memory of who she was in this life, and therefore, was finding it hard to act like she knew everybody she worked with. She truly had no idea how Perry would react, but she suspected the reaction wouldn't be a positive one.

"Oh! ..Well, don't worry about Perry. We'll just tell him we were out look..looking for Superman," Clark answered, "how about we walk back to The Planet, and tell Perry now, so he doesn't blow a gasket in front of everybody tomorrow morning?" Emily nodded in agreement, and stood up, adjusting her blouse as she did so. As much fun as she was having spending time with Clark, she was glad to be leaving the cafe. Being on the waterfront, it was an extremely cold place to be when the sun set. She crossed her arms, trying to preserve warmth as the cool autumn breeze swept past.

"Okay, let's get going, then." She finally answered, and Clark stood up from his chair, grabbing his suit jacket that hung from the back. He shrugged his suit jacket on, and they went inside the cafe to pay their bill.

As they walked through downtown Metropolis, Emily tried not to seem too wowed at the sights and sounds. The only major city she had ever lived in was New York, and whilst she was there, she didn't really get a chance to explore the city.

"So what part of town do you live in?" She asked Clark, wondering if he had found a home yet. She doubted that he had, seeing as, by what she could gather, the New Krypton incident occurred two days ago.

"Actually, I'm kind of homeless at the moment.." He laughed, and she smiled knowingly.

"Oh, that's right, you only just moved back here! So where are you keeping your stuff, then?" She asked, as they neared The Daily Planet.

"The store room at work..seemed as good a place as any." He replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"If you need a place to stay, I have a second bedroom." Emily offered, but Clark looked unsure.

"N-no, I really couldn't impose like that." Clark said nervously, and she knew he was thinking about how he could be Superman if he had a roommate.

"It wouldn't be an imposition at all. Come on, I'm not using the spare bedroom for anything. Plus, it has it's own closet, and a balcony! You can't tell me that doesn't beat sleeping at the office!" She pressed, trying to convince him to take her offer. She had no ulterior motives, she just wanted to make things easier for Clark. She felt the beginnings of a new friendship between the two, and he seemed fairly comfortable with her. Looking at the way he behaved in the office, and the way he was now, she knew he had toned it down a bit since the sugar packet incident.

"Are you sure?..I-" She interrupted Clark, as they walked up the stairs to the entrance of The Daily Planet.

"Positive. We'll tell Perry that we were out looking for Superman, and then we'll gather your stuff, okay?" She answered, and shot him a smile before walking through the revolving door, into the lobby. Clark followed.

"Wow, you really don't take 'no' for an answer, do you?" He said, smiling. It wasn't the goofy smile he was so well known for, either. It was a genuine smile, that played softly on his features. Emily had to tear her gaze away, lest she walk into something.

"What do you expect? I'm a reporter." She answered, and he conceded with a nod of his head. He pressed the button for the elevator, and it opened almost immediately.

"You know, you remind me a little of Lois..except you have a much nicer disposition." Clark smiled bemusedly.

"Uh..thanks, I think?" They made their way into the elevator, and Clark pressed the button for their floor.

"Trust me, it's a compliment."

\S/ \S/

When they entered the bullpen, there were still a few people scattered around, typing out their articles for tomorrow's paper. They weaved through desks to get to Perry's office, and Clark knocked on the door, waiting to be waved in.

"So, Clark, Emily, what do you have for me?" Perry asked.

No 'where were you all day', but rather, 'what do you have so far?'

Emily let Clark answer, after all, he was the one they were writing the story about.

"Superman said that he'll give us an interview." Clark answered. Perry, looking happy, waved them out.

"Good job! Go on home, I expect the two of you to have something I can publish in the next few days." Clark and Emily both nodded, and said goodnight to Perry, leaving his office.

"Okay, so let's go get your stuff." She said, and Clark led the way to the store room.

"Thanks again for letting me stay." Clark said, as they got out of the taxi, arriving at Emily's apartment building.

"It's no problem." She smiled, and fished through her bag for her keys as the driver opened the trunk of the taxi, and Clark grabbed his suitcases. She unlocked the building, and held the door open so Clark could walk through. They entered an elevator together for the fourth time that day, and soon reached the top floor.

Once they were inside Emily's apartment, she showed Clark to the spare bedroom, before giving him a small tour of the place.

"So, what do you feel like for dinner? I could make a chicken stir-fry..hamburgers, steak and chips..?" She asked when they reached the kitchen.

"Whichever you feel like, I'll eat any of those." Clark answered honestly.

"Chicken stir-fry it is, then."

"Do you want any help?" Clark offered, as she started preparing the ingredients.

"You could cut the veggies while I cut the chicken?" So Clark donned an apron, and they stood together, making dinner.

If only her friends on The Planet could see her now. Making dinner with Clark, who, might she add, looked very cute in an apron.

..That reminded her..she may never get to see the reviews from her readers, she may never get home..

"Are you okay?" Clark questioned her, seeing her faraway expression.

"I'm fine." She assured him, smiling. What she had lost was far outshone by what she had gained - a friendship with a great man.


	4. Chapter 4

Clark and Emily sat down to dinner, overlooking the beautiful skyline of Metropolis after dark. They recommenced their 'getting to know you' session, and were soon discussing anything from favorite foods, to favorite superheroes. Emily couldn't resist the temptation to ask Clark who his favorite superhero was, and his reaction was both funny and endearing.

His eyes had bugged out of his head, and he had shoved his glasses right back up the bridge of his nose. Emily resisted the urge to laugh, instead opting to take a sip of her wine.

"Oh..uh..gee, I'd never really thought about it.." Clark trailed off, taking a sip of wine himself, despite the fact that it had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Come on!...Okay, I'll tell you my favorite superhero first?" Emily half-stated, half-asked. Both their dinners were finished by now, and Emily stood up to gather the dishes and put them in the sink.

"Okay..my favorite superhero as a kid was Captain America." Clark confessed, looking down at the tablecloth as if it had suddenly become something remarkably interesting. Oh, he was good at this acting stuff.

"Mine is Superman." Emily said, and glanced at the wine bottle. Almost empty. At least she now knew how she was being so aloof.

"Oh? Why is that?" Clark prodded, looking up at Emily from where he still sat at the table.

"He always gives to everybody, and never asks anything back. He has risked his life time and time againfor the sake of humankind. And even when his life isn't being risked, he will still rise to the call for help. He doesn't just do the big publicity jobs, he views no job as too big, or too small.

"And he finally leaves to do something for himself, and he gets scorn. He get ridiculed. He doesn't owe us anything, and nor should he think he does." Emily ran out of breath on her rant, and looked to Clark, who looked reflective, and sort of grateful.

"Wow..you're really passionate about Superman, aren't you?" Clark asked, after he had registered what had been said.

"I'm no fangirl, I just think that people place too much pressure on him. He is not just there to be relied on, as a safety net. He is here as a guide for us, to inspire us and teach us. Not to indulge our lazy lifestyles." Emily explained, and Clark nodded, amazed.

"You get all of that from tv news and newspaper articles?" He asked, standing up to help Emily with the dishes.

"You could say that, yeah." Emily said elusively, and smiled up at Clark's tall frame, before turning back to the dishes.

\S/ \S/

"Well, I'm gonna go have a dip in the pool. Feel free to join me." Emily offered, before walking upstairs to her room. They had just finished washing and drying the dishes, and now Emily wanted to wind down.

She walked to her closet, and opened it, finding a selection of swimsuits. Finding a pair of board shorts and a bikini top, she slid her day clothes off her slender frame and quickly changed.

Upon her return to the lower floor of the penthouse, she paused momentarily. Clark had taken up her offer for a swim, and was standing by the poolside, shirtless. She could see the scar left from the Kryptonite shiv, but her attentions were more focused on his muscular upper torso. He was so toned and defined that the professional athletes she used to watch on the wrestling had nothing on him.

But, how better to make your daily exercise quota by flying around the world multiple times, lifting cars, metal structures, the Daily Planet globe, and for a whopper of a finale, bench pressing New Krypton into space.

Clark surveyed the skyline of Metropolis for a short moment, before diving into the pool. He resurfaced, hair plastered to his face, and looked around. Emily started to move again just as Clark's eyes caught hers. Almost busted.

He smiled at her as she walked out onto the patio, two towels in hand.

"Is the water nice?" Emily asked, setting the towels down on a deckchair, and coming closer to the edge of the pool. Clark swum up to the edge of the pool, nearing Emily.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" And he promptly pulled her in. She flailed her arms madly in the air, mid fall. Emily tumbled into the pool awkwardly, and when she resurfaced, Clark was laughing.

"That was graceful." He teased, but backed up abit. He was smirking slightly, reminding her of the scene in Superman Returns, when the gunman fails to injure Superman. The smirk is almost exactly alike, but held a sexier, playful quality. Emily noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses.

It seemed unusual to her, considering how in all the movies she had watched, and the comics she had read, he had always been hesitant to remove his glasses as Clark. Perhaps he trusted her on some level, or at least felt comfortable.

"You're getting nervy, farmboy." Emily glared petulantly, but couldn't hold it for too long. She broke out into a smile, which soon turned into a laugh.

"How did you know I'm from a farm?" He questioned.

_Oh, sh..._


	5. Chapter 5

"Jimmy - he just won't shut up about you!" Emily answered, quickly formulating an excuse. Clark laughed and nodded.

_Nice save._

"So I've been told. He's a nice kid, but a bit socially awkward." Clark said. Emily agreed, nodding her head.

"So, Mister. What on Earth was that for?" She asked incredulously. Clark shrugged innocently.

"What was what for?" He replied nonchalantly, his smirk now a full blown smile. Emily averted her gaze from his perfectly chiseled jaw, sweeping over his dimples and stopping at his deep blue eyes. She didn't want to ogle him, but my god, was it hard to resist.

"Never mind, Clark. I will get you back, though." She assured him, before swimming to the other end of the pool.

"Be my guest. There isn't much that irks me." He said easily. Emily shot him a look, then turned back around. She pressed her palms against the top of the pool wall, and pushed herself out. Stepping over the small wall, she sank comfortably into the spa, the warm water feeling heavenly.

"We'll see."

\S/ \S/

The next morning, Kal-El arose bright and early, as usual. He had spent half the night doing his Supermanly duties, as he liked to put it, and was thankful that he only needed three hours of sleep to recharge.

Kal-El sorted through his suitcase, looking for a suit for work. He found his usual three-piece tweed suit, before grabbing his Superman suit, and he headed to the bathroom for a shower. Clark found himself once again contemplating the Lois/Jason/Richard situation.

He loved his son more and more with each passing minute, the adorable little miracle that he felt he did not deserve. _If only he had not been so hasty in leaving for Krypton..things may have been different._

Lois had changed so much since he had been gone. She was not still the same woman he had loved so intensely. He still loved her, and he probably always would, but it was time to move on. _He could have had a family.._but Kal-El's rational side told him that it would never have worked anyway; there were too many dangers.

Telling his rational side to shut up, Clark gripped the door handle, turning it open. He heard running water, and, mortified, looked towards the shower, seeing Emily's naked form behind the clear glass.

_'Not that opacity would have helped any, Mr. Supervision.'_

Clark once again told his conscience to shut up. It was not helping.

"Oh my god..I'm so sorry." Clark apologized, and in his hurry to exit the bathroom, he dropped the towel he was holding. The towel unraveled when it fell, and out rolled the Superman suit.

"Oh, sh.." Clark murmured. Emily had turned off the shower, and was now securing a towel around herself. Clark had gone and done it, alright. He'd known this woman not even a full day, and he'd revealed **The Big Secret**. He was losing his touch.

"Uhh..it's not-" Emily cut Clark off, saving him the trouble of trying to think up a passable excuse.

"I know, Clark."

_'Wait..she knows? How could she possibly know?!'_

"How?" Clark asked, panicking.

"It's a long story. But don't worry, I haven't told anybody, and I don't have the intention to do so." Emily assured him.

Clark was still worried. _She had some 'splaining to do!_


	6. Chapter 6

"Look, how about you have your shower. I'll go make some breakfast, and we can sit and talk about this. I'll explain everything." Emily offered at Clark's blank look.

"Uh..sure." Clark managed to utter out. His ability to speak properly had been impeded by both the new revelation, and Emily's lack of clothing - not that he was [Ilooking[/I or anything.

"Okay, great. Well, I'm gonna go get dressed. I'll see you downstairs." Emily said, filling the somewhat awkward silence, before exiting the bathroom.

Clark's mind was running as he stood under - or rather slightly above - the showerhead. His mind was creating different scenarios; how the impending conversation would pan out. He hunched slightly to rinse the conditioner out of his hair, before shutting the tap off. He quickly dried, and spun into his Superman suit. The work suit followed, and when he had finally managed to secure his tie around his neck he left the bathroom, headed for the kitchen.

As he descended the stairs, the warm aroma of bacon and eggs invaded his senses. He entered the kitchen, and saw Emily standing at the counter, pouring two fresh glasses of orange juice. There was also a fresh pot of coffee in the percolator beside the microwave.

"Wow, all of this smells great." Clark tried to break the ice as he sat down at the table. He was rewarded with a warm smile as Emily joined him, placing a glass of orange juice next to Clark's plate before sitting down to her own breakfast.

"I wasn't sure how you took your eggs, but I figured fried was safe enough." She replied, still smiling.

"Fried is great."

_Swell vocabulary, man. 'Fried is great!?!' Come on._

"So I guess I owe you an explanation." Emily said, setting her glass down. Clark, whose cheeks had faintly darkened with blush, nodded slightly, but had no traces of hostility in his expression.

"Well, it's kind of..well, it's extremely far-fetched. Something even I wouldn't believe if it hadn't happened..." Emily trailed off nervously. What if he didn't believe her? She could easily come off as a nut job. With her luck, he'd be checking her cupboards for narcotics.

"You're talking to the epitome of far-fetched." Clark reminded her with a wry smile. Emily conceded with a slight nod of her head.

"..Not this far fetched..But I guess I'll just start at the beginning. Two nights ago, I went to sleep in my room after watching a Superman movie, and posting on a web forum.." Emily started, and noticed Clark's odd look.

_'Superman Movie? Oh, god. Don't tell me...?' _Clark thought nervously, but let Emily continue without interruption.

"No, don't worry. There are no Superman movies in _this _universe. The only way I can put this is..well, I went to sleep in a world where Superman is a fictional character, and Metropolis doesn't exist. And I woke up to this reality, with a previous life, a job at The Daily Planet, and no previous memories of this life whatsoever." Emily said quickly, somewhat likening the confession to the ripping of a band aid.

As Clark tried to absorb the information, Emily nervously took a sip of her orange juice. She was wondering if he would call the men in the white lab coats to take her away, when he finally spoke up.

"And you have no idea how you got here, or how to get back?" Clark questioned, a note of concern to his voice. She looked up in surprise..he didn't think she was insane.. he actually _believed _her!

"Well..no. But I'm not too eager to return. I'm afraid this reality far surpasses my old life." She replied, a note of sadness in her voice. It was at that moment that Clark decided to befriend Emily, in spite of her strange apperance, and her knowledge of his most precious secret. It might actually prove a relief to have somebody that he need not act in front of..although, he had been more himself than the bumbling reporter around her. A thought struck him as he reached out to take Emily's hand in his own, trying to comfort her.

_If she had known who he was from the get-go..did that mean that she had only befriended him for what he was, rather than who he really was?_

**Thanks so much bluecatdevil for the review!!!**

**The next chapter is in progress, but school is back on now, and I'm starting year 11 huge workload. I will try and keep updates as frequent as at least once a week, but I can't make any promises **


	7. Chapter 7

But no...he remembered her passionate speech about Superman. It had been entirely for his benefit, of course. But, still...she did not view him as a god. She understood his motives; his purpose. She viewed him as a normal - well, somewhat normal man trying to set an example.

_'Either way,' _Clark decided, _'I'll keep my opinions open about her. At least she's trustworthy. A lesser woman would be running to Perry with the big scoop.'_

He was jolted out of his thoughts when Emily stood up, taking her plate to the sink.

"So, about this New Krypton article..I can tell Perry that we couldn't contact Superman if you want?" Emily said, returning to the table, coffee in hand.

"You know as well as I do that Perry White doesn't take no for an answer. But I appreciate the sentiment." Clark said gratefully, smiling to let her know it was okay.

"Well, we don't have to ask any personal questions, anyway." Emily insisted. Clark was about to respond, when he heard a cry for help.

"Excuse me.." He said quickly, before spinning into a blur and shooting out through the open balcony door. Emily saw his work suit discarded on his seat, folded neatly, and the glasses clattered on the table.

_'Whoa..that was fast.' _Emily thought to herself in amazement, before standing up to wash the dishes, awaiting his return.

\S/ \S/

When Clark had returned, Emily was in the loungeroom. The television had showed Superman helping a family held hostage in Wisconsin, and out of curiousity, her eyes had been glued to the screen.

This universe was taking some getting used to. Emily was used to death and destruction; her family had been killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Emily would have died, too, if she had not misplaced her passport. She would have been on the hijacked plane with them. If only Superman had existed then, in that place and time. So much would have been different.

She would have a life to return to, for one. Not simply the existence she had come to know of as her life. But, finally, she had a chance for a fresh start..who knows..maybe in this life, she still had a family?

Emily had turned the television off milliseconds before Clark walked in. He was once again in his work suit.

"Ready for work?" He questioned, adjusting his tie slightly. Emily nodded, and she stood up, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. They once again hailed a cab together, and took the long journey through Metropolis mid-morning traffic, discussing their new article on the way.

\S/ \S/

Clark and Emily entered the bullpen at twenty past nine, and barely had time to get to their desks before they were called upon.

"You two! My office!" Perry called out, before withdrawing his head from the gap between his office doors. Clark and Emily exchanged a look, before setting their things down and heading towards Perry's office.

"Okay, what do you have for me?" Perry questioned, leaning back in his chair and gesturing for the two to sit down. There was only one seat in front of Perry's desk, and Clark, ever the gentleman, pulled it out for Emily.

Emily shot him a smile, and said a soft "thanks, Clark."

"Superman gave us an interview yesterday, Chief. All we have to do is type it out and write the feature article on the day's events." Emily was the one to answer. On the Cab journey over, Clark had suggested an interview of Superman, and a small overview of the New Krypton incident to accompany it.

"Great! I'll get it put in tonight's edition! Another Superman exclusive! I expect it on my desk no later that 4:30. Now get to it!" Perry waved them off, looking pleased.

"Sure thing, C-chief." Clark answered, and the two left to get to work.

Two hours later found them sitting at their desks, surrounded by munchies and empty foam cups that were once filled with coffee. Emily's overcoat lay discarded on the back of her seat, and she sat next to Clark, outlining the main points of the feature article, while he wrote up the interview segment.

"Would you rather I focused more on the city's destruction opposed to the crystal technology?" She questioned softly, so only he could hear. He stopped typing, and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't want to lie to the public..but if you could just leave it down to the fact that it was Kryptonian technology that built the landmass? It's kind of embarrasing to think I left the Fortress unlocked and vulnerable to people like Lex." He responded in the same hushed tone.

"Yeah of course, that's fine." Emily nodded in agreement,and they both set to writing their articles.

"Hey CK! Hi Emily!" Jimmy's excited tone rung out from behind the pair.

"Jimmy, hey. How are you?" Clark questioned politely. With a glance to the computer screen, emily saw that Clark's article was already completed.

_'Oh, to have super-speed when a deadline is due..' _Emily thought wryly, before turning her attention back to Clark and Jimmy's conversation.

"So what are you doing for Christmas Emily?" Jimmy directed at her, leaning against the edge of Clark's desk.

"Well..probably just hanging out in my apartment." She answered honestly, almost cringing at the look of sympathy Jimmy shot her.

"You don't have Christmas plans? Didn't Lois invite you to her house for Christmas dinner? She invited Mr and Mrs White, myself, and I think she was going to ask you and Clark to come as well.." Jimmy trailed off, wondering if he'd said too much.


	8. Chapter 8

Fortunately the awkward moment was broken by Lois and Richard joining the conversation.

"We just wanted to tell you guys.." Lois trailed off, turning to smile at Richard. He grinned back, before finishing her sentence.

"We finally set a wedding date!" He said ecstatically, hugging Lois to his side. The three looked at each other in shock, before returning their gazes to Lois and Richard.

"That's great!" Jimmy was the first one to speak, and quickly moved to Richard to shake his hand in congratulations. Emily looked at Clark worriedly, trying to gauge his reaction, before moving to hug Lois and Richard. When it came to Clark's turn to congratulate the couple, he clapped Richard on the back, and hugged Lois somewhat awkwardly.

"So when's the big day, then?" Emily questioned, as she moved to stand next to Clark. She was having a bit of difficulty, trying to act ecstatic for Lois, when in reality she was worried to death about Clark. Lois beamed, and opened her mouth to start speaking. Emily tuned into the conversation once more, but made a mental note to get Clark alone as soon as possible, and make sure he was okay.

"Saturday, January the 5th," Lois said, "and..I want you to be my maid of honor." She finished. Emily smiled excitedly; she was honored that Lois felt she was a close enough friend to be her maid of honor. Over the next ten minutes, the group discussed wedding details, Lois and Richard filling them in on the details. Clark, Jimmy and Perry had been asked to be Richard's groomsmen, and Lucy, Emily and Lois' cousin Lienna. Jason was to be the ring-bearer.

"Yes! I'd love to!" Emily answered, nodding vigorously. Lois's smile got wider, and she hugged Emily happily, before she and Richard excused themselves. They were headed to Perry's office, Emily guessed, to tell him the big news.

"Wow...I never thought they'd set a date.." Jimmy remarked.

"Yeah..it's abit out of the blue, but I'm happy for them." Emily replied. Clark and Jimmy nodded in agreement, the former looking more docile than usual. It was time for their talk.

"Oh my g- Clark, we're late for the meeting with our lead!" Emily said, upon looking at her watch. She gave Clark a direct look, and he feigned panic, before grabbing his jacket. Emily grabbed her handbag from the table.

"Sorry, Jimmy. We'll be back soon." Emily apologized, and the two made their way to the elevator.

Two minutes later found Clark and Emily alone on the roof of the Daily Planet building. Clark was leaning against the ledge, while Emily preferred her perch on the tabletop.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly. Clark nodded, and made eye contact with Emily.

"I'm fine..I just wasn't expecting Lois to set a date so..abruptly." He said, in a tone that was neither the high-pitched voice of 'Clark', nor the deep, confidant baritone of 'Superman'. Once again, he was revealing his real self to Emily. He was revealing Kal-El, a side of him that he had not fully revealed to anybody. Not even Martha Kent.

"Are you- ...are you still in love with her?" She questioned, looking out over the cityscape, out to the ocean. Her eyes fixed on the horizon, as Clark mouthed a single word.

"No."


	9. Chapter 9

Emily was surprised at his answer; she had assumed he was still as deeply in love with the fearless reporter as he had been five years ago.

Clark noted the look on her face; surprise. Confusion. Relief.

"I will always love her, in a way. She's the mother of my child. The times we had, were wonderful. Some of my happiest moments. But we aren't the same people we used to be. We're from different worlds," Emily gave him a 'no..really?' look, and Clark quickly added, "no pun intended. Lois and Richard, though, are perfect for each other. They deserve happiness.."

"You'll find that happiness, too, Clark." Emily assured him, hopping off the table and coming to stand in front of Clark, noting the expression of conspiracy, and mischief, a sharp contrast to his expression moments before.

"I know." He breathed, before lacing an arm behind Emily's back. He pulled her closer gently, and tilted her head up with his hand. Her eyes fluttered closed gently, and she could feel his breath against her face, and the unique warmth of his skin. Those thoughts flew from her mind soon after, though, as Clark closed the gap between them, and kissed her softly.

When their lips separated, Clark rested his forehead on Emily's. They locked gazes, and Clark smiled, his face holding an expression of geniune happiness. Emily returned his smile, sliding her arms from Clark's sides, up to his neck. Her hands came to rest just below his hairline, before she applied a bit of pressure, reuniting their lips.


	10. Chapter 10

Later that night, Emily sat on the balcony. Superman was out on a rescue, and she was using her time alone to contemplate what had happened earlier. She hoped that it wasn't just a rebound, 'I'm heartbroken, and need comfort' kiss. Things had been somewhat awkward after the kiss; instead of initiating conversation with each other after the kiss, they had remained silent. An awkward silence hung in the air between them, now.

That was not to say that she regretted the kiss. Far from it, truthfully. She had enjoyed their passionate embrace, feeling warm and protected in his arms.

As she mulled over the kiss, replaying it in her mind, she started thinking about her own motivations.

If she had not come to know Clark Kent, and still lived in her previous life, she would not have thought twice about ogling Superman, just for the sheer fact that he was. She couldn't deny that he was a physical masterpiece, but his personality far surpassed his looks. He was sweet, caring, sensitive, and intelligent. And that was only listing his most basic qualities.

She never would have known that she could have such a rapport with such an amazing person. Not alien. Person. To her, he was nothing more than a man. A man with feelings, thoughts, goals, emotions, and a purpose. But at the same time, he was so much more than that.

Emily saw a blur of blue and red come ever closer, and before she knew it, Superman was sitting opposite her.

"I think we should talk about earlier today." He spoke softly. It was as Emily suspected; her feelings of happiness were conflicted with his feelings of regret.

"Okay.." She responded, trying not to sound too upset.

"I know we've only known each other for a few days..but I was wondering..would you like to go on a date with me sometime?" He said, sounding slightly unsure of himself.

"I'd love to." Emily finally answered, when she'd recovered from the shock of his question. Superman smiled at her, and before things could get awkward, Emily stood up.

"Well, dinner should be ready by now, come on." She invited, and Superman stood up as well. Emily turned to open the glass door. Contemplating whether or not to take her hand for a moment, he decided to take a risk. He twined his hand gently with hers, and was rewarded with a smile. And they sat down to dinner, an awkward silence no longer bothering them.

\S/

In a small act of hope, Emily typed the url into the address bar.

Enter.

Page loading.

Welcome, Emily. You have 3 new private messages. Open new window?

_Thank god._

Emily could still talk to her old friends!..But what reality were they in? What reality was she in, for that matter.

Emily counted the small blessing though, and loaded her thread. She went to the last page, finding reviews for her final chapter. She responded happily, grateful for some normalcy in her life.

She hoped to god that Clark was not interested in internet browsing. The story would be hard (and embarrassing) to explain!

After posting responses, Emily retired to bed.

\S/

The next morning, Emily hopped out of bed, feeling refreshed. She walked into the bathroom, making sure to lock both doors this time. Despite the fact that it was too late to avoid him seeing her naked, and he could anyway if he really wanted to (not that he would..without her permission), she wanted to save Clark and herself the embarrassment of a repeat performance.

Once showered and made up, Emily dressed in a black blouse and beige pencil skirt. She draped pearls around her neck, securing the necklace clasp into place. Her hair cascaded in natural waves down her back as she slid her pantyhose covered foot into her heeled shoe. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Emily called out, almost tripping as she slid her other shoe on. She failed to navigate her way across the bedroom successfully, though, tripping over the towel that lay on the floor. The door opened, and she looked up. She was once again caught in an embarrassing situation. Bummer.

The sight of Emily sprawled out on the ground, feet tangled in her towel, was too much for Clark to take. He chuckled deeply, and walked to where Emily lay. He kneeled down to help her up, a smile still on his face.

"Now either you feel _you_ have the responsibility to play the clumsy one now, or you're just naturally unco-ordinated." Clark quipped, once Emily was on her feet again. She shot him a mock-glare, dusting herself off.

"I tripped over the damn towel..I'm not clumsy, just...disadvantaged." She said, her pitiful excuse making Clark laugh again.

"Well, come on, breakfast is ready. We have to be at work by 8:00, for the staff meeting." He reminded her, leading her downstairs. Emily noticed her hand was still in his, and couldn't help but feel awkward, considering the previous days' events. Pushing her feelings aside, she continued walking to the kitchen, and quickly ate her breakfast. It was already 7:20, and the morning traffic could take hours.

After rushing upstairs to brush her teeth, she grabbed her jacket and made her way back downstairs, meeting Clark in the kitchen.

"You ready to leave?" She asked, grabbing her handbag from the countertop. Clark shrugged on his suit jacket, "yeah, let's go."

**A Month Later**

"Wake up, Clark. You have to meet Richard in an hour." Emily said as she walked into his room. A glance around the room confirmed that Clark was nowhere to be found.

"Of course." She laughed slightly, silently chiding herself for forgetting that Clark never slept in; he only needed about four hours sleep a night. He must have been out on a rescue. She went back downstairs to make herself some coffee while she waited for Lois, her sister Lucy, and her cousin Lienna to arrive. They were going shopping for bridesmaid dresses today, while Richard, Jimmy, Clark and Jason were getting their tuxedos fitted.

_Tap, Tap._

Emily stood up, and set her coffee down. She walked out into the hallway, and opened the door. There stood Lois, Lucy and Lienna.

"Good morning." Emily said, opening the door further to let them in.

"Morning," Lois said, "Emily, this is my sister Lucy," she gestured to the petite woman to her left, "and my cousin Lienna," she nodded to her right.

"Nice to meet you both..could I offer any of you ladies a coffee?" She asked, as they walked back into the kitchen.

"Yes, please." Was the answer from all three. Emily was pouring the coffee when she heard Clark's voice.

"Emily, have you seen my-" His voice cut off, and he looked to the three Lane women in surprise. When Emily turned to see what Clark wanted, she saw Clark standing at the doorway, dripping wet, in only a towel. He looked mortified.

"Uh..nevermind." He said quickly, and hurried upstairs. Emily held back a laugh, and brought the coffee to the dining table, with the sugar tin and milk carton.

"Help yourselves...I'd better go see what he wanted." She offered, leaving the kitchen.

"_Who_ was_ that_, Lois?" Lucy asked, stirring the sugar into her coffee.

"_That _was Clark Kent..who knew he had such a great body underneath that suit." She replied, Lucy and Lienna nodded in agreement. The three proceeded to talk about possible colours for the bridesmaid dresses. Emily walked back into the room a few minutes later.

"What did Clark want?" Lois asked, as the four of them got ready to leave.

"He was looking for his.._tie_." Emily answered, shrugging her jacket on.


	11. Chapter 11

Emily stood outside the changeroom with Lois as Lienna tried on a strapless lilac dress.

"Emily, I wanted to ask you a favour...you can feel free to say no to this, but..would you mind watching Jason for the week Richard and I are on our honeymoon?" Lois asked. Emily nodded immediately, her mind already working. She loved Jason already, in such a short time of knowing him, and she knew Clark loved him. He deserved to spend time with his son, if only for a week.

"Of course! It's no bother at all, I'd be happy to Lois." She responded, a smile on her face.

Later that night, Emily was preparing dinner when Clark arrived home.

"Hey Em." Clark greeted, walking into the kitchen. Emily turned from the stove, a smile on her face. Clark was sitting at the table, elbows propped up so he could rest his chin upon his clasped hands.

"Long day?" She questioned, sitting across from him at the table. He looked up, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"You have no idea.. I'd wager that Richard made us try on more tuxes than Lois made you dresses. You have no idea how many times I got tangled in my cape. And I'm sure they all think I have body issues now - I refused to let them in my dressing room." Emily laughed, the mental picture of Clark stuck in his cape was a very amusing one. Clark shot her a reproachful look, and Emily laughed again. She stood up, circling the table. She hugged Clark from behind, bending to talk in his ear.

"Some good came out of today. Lois asked us to watch Jason while they're on their honeymoon." She half-whispered. Clark turned his head abruptly.

"Really?" He asked happily, excited about the prospect of spending two weeks with his son.

"Yep. I told her yes, of course." She responded, kissing Clark on the cheek before moving to check on their dinner, still simmering on the stove. They were having a simple dinner tonight, so it should nearly be finished. She turned the stove off, and dished the dinner onto two plates. Clark stood up to help, and poured the two of them drinks. No wine tonight, just soda.

"So, what kind of tacky, horrible dress do you have to wear?" Clark teased, as they sat down to dinner. Emily pulled a face of disgust, before answering Clark.

"One word; taffeta." She shuddered. Clark was puzzled.

"Taffeta??" He asked confusedly.

"Poofy. Frills."

Clark burst out laughing, and was rewarded with a splash of spaghetti sauce to the face. He stopped laughing abruptly.

"Oh, no you di-int!" Clark cried indignantly, a splatter of spaghetti sauce trailing down his cheek. It was her turn to laugh; he sounded like a mortified gangsta.

"You know this means war, right?" Clark said, standing up.

Emily got halfway up the stairs before Clark appeared in front of her, all traces of spaghetti sauce gone. She tried to turn around and run in the opposite direction, but her attempt was futile.

"I'm sorry??" Her apology was more like a question. Clark shook his head, and she squealed as he picked her up. He walked a normal pace down the stairs, her fists beating dramatically against his back, once again, a futile attempt. When they reached the kitchen once more, Clark walked straight past the dinner table, and to the back door. The door was open so fast that Emily didn't see it.

"Oh, god no! Clark!!" She screamed, knowing her fate. Clark just smiled, shaking his head.

"You better n-" She half-yelled, before he dropped her into the pool. She resurfaced, a look of shock on her face.

"I can't believe you just did that!!" She climbed out of the pool, dripping wet. Clark doubled over in laughter.

"You look like a drowned rat!" He wheezed. Emily walked past him, and before Clark knew it, he was at the bottom of the pool, too.

The prank war went on for the rest of the night, a truce having been made just before bed. When they went to their separate rooms for the night, Clark spent the next few hours thinking about the two weeks he would be spending with Jason, before heading out on a rescue. After returning from the theme park accident in Tokyo, he checked on Emily quietly. She was still sound asleep.

Clark still wasn't sure where he stood with Emily. They had gone on a few dates, but nothing was official yet. He would have to ask her..when the time was right.


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews, Kara-El

"I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know, make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you." Emily sung along to the cd playing in the stereo as she strung tinsel around the Christmas tree. When her job was complete, she took a step back from the tree, admiring it. Only one more thing left to do now. She eyed the star, wondering how she was going to get it on the top of the tree.

She dragged a chair up next to the tree, nope. Not high enough. Not even close. Bugger.

"Need a little help?" Clark's amused voice came from the doorway. Emily turned her head around, smiling sheepishly.

"Yes please." She answered, hopping down from the chair, star in her hand.

"I can't believe you thought a chair would help you reach the top of the tree..it's a 9footer, Em...you're 5'8".."Clark teased, walking into the lounge room. Emily held out the star to him. Instead of taking the star, he pulled Emily to him, and started to float upwards, until they reached the top of the tree.

"Go on." He gestured, nodding towards the tree. Emily leant slightly, and outstretched her arm, placing the star on the tree. For once, it didn't go wonky, and cause the top of the tree to lean. It fit perfectly. She made sure her hand lingered on the star, although she knew it was on properly. This was the first time Clark had taken her up, and she wanted to memorise the feeling.

"Thanks, Clark." She said, pulling away from the tree and back into his gentle embrace. He started to lower back down, and they reached the floor. His arms, however, loosened only slightly around her waist.

"You're welcome." He smiled, leaning down to press his lips against hers. The kiss only lasted all of four seconds, before he pulled back and leant his forehead against hers, smiling.

Emily was surprised at how much a peck could affect her. It never had before. If someone had've told her she would have gone jelly-legged at a four second kiss a few months ago, she would have laughed straight in their face, and told them to lay off the alcohol. Now, however, it was a different story. And she couldn't wait to find out the ending to said story.

\S/

Emily stood at the kitchen counter beside Clark, perusing the recipe for christmas cookies.

"Okay, we have everything we need, so I'll just preheat the oven.." She moved to turn the oven on, and Clark gathered the ingredients from the kitchen cupboard.

What could've been a peaceful afternoon baking cookies, quickly turned into another food fight; this time Clark was the antagonist. He flung a dollop of green icing into Emily's hair, and she retaliated with a handful of butter smeared down the side of his face. He cracked an egg over her head, and quickly followed that by pouring flour on top of her, the egg sticking to it. Emily couldn't reach the fridge to get any more ingredients, so she did the next best thing. She flung herself at Clark, covering him with the egg and flour too. Clark toppled backwards, taking Emily with him

"Why must every experience in this kitchen turn into a food fight?" Emily laughed, laying on top of Clark. He shrugged nonchalantly, before rolling so he was on top of Emily. She saw mischief in his eyes, and braced herself for the icing that was poured all over her favourite apron. Damn him.

"Truce?" He asked, standing up, and offering his hand to Emily. She eyed it warily, and decided to stand up by herself.

"Ha. Just you wait." She responded, shooting him a mock-death glare, and exiting the kitchen, leaving him to clean up the mess that he caused. She needed a hot shower and, by the looks of things, an industrial-sized shampoo to get all of the gunk out of her hair. For somebody who was trying to set a worldwide example, he sure could be immature at times. Not that she was complaining. Her life with Clark definitely beat her previous life, lived with the loneliness of having lost her immediate family.

She thanked god Metropolis didn't have water restrictions when she stepped out of the shower forty five minutes later. She also cursed Clark, knowing he would be clean by now.

'Damn super speed.' She thought, as she wrapped a towel around her waist and exited the bathroom.

When she had dressed herself, she made her way downstairs to the lounge room, intending to light a fire to warm the house up. When the fire was crackling, she stepped back from the fireplace and grabbed a cushion from the couch, opting to lay on the floor in front of the fireplace to keep as warm as possible.

She felt the heat radiating from the fireplace, and closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always enjoyed laying in front of the fireplace in the winter, usually accompanied by a hot chocolate and marshmallows. Doing so now brought back her childhood memories, she and her family would usually spend Christmas 'Eve in front of the fireplace, listening to Christmas Carols and drinking hot chocolate. She felt a wave of sadness come over her at the thought of her family. It was always harder at Christmas time.

"What's on your mind?" Clark asked, joining her on the floor.

"Just thinking about my family. Christmas time makes it that much harder..." She answered, opening her eyes and turning towards Clark.

"C'mere." Clark shifted closer to Emily, hugging her to his chest gently. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep.

\S/

The next morning, Emily awoke in her own bed.

'Clark must've brought me up here,' she thought, rolling out of bed and shrugging her dressing gown on. She walked out into the hallway, and was halfway down the stairs before she realized it was Christmas day.

"Merry Christmas!" She called to Clark as she walked into the kitchen. It was time to exchange gifts, before they visited Martha for Christmas Lunch (Emily was still nervous at the prospect of meeting Clark's mother). They planned to stay in Smallville for a few hours, before heading to Lois' house for dinner.


	13. Chapter 13

"Merry Christmas." Clark greeted, wrapping his arms around Emily. She returned the hug enthusiastically.

"C'mon, presents!" Emily insisted, sounding like an excited child. He loved how she was so young at heart; so full of life. It was a nice change from the usual characters he talked to. Aside from a few small exceptions, most everybody that worked at The Daily Planet were so stiff and serious. He pushed his thoughts aside, and let himself be dragged to the living room.

"Shall I give you your present first, then?" He asked, picking up a brightly-wrapped box. Emily nodded enthusiastically. Clark chucked, and followed her in sitting on the floor. He extended his arm, holding the gift out to her. She was glowing as she untied the ribbon and opened the box to reveal a Sapphire necklace with matching earrings.

"Clark! They're beautiful!" She cried out, setting the box aside gently and diving on Clark, hugging him tightly. She snuggled into his embrace and murmured a 'thank you'.

"I'm glad you like it." He said, hugging her closer to him. He felt inside that it was time to ask her the question that had been on his mind for the past few weeks. They had been on a few dates, but nothing was official. Now was the perfect time to ask.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Emily?" Clark asked, pulling away from Emily slightly so he could gauge the reaction on her face. She affirmed with a nod, and Clark released the breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

"Of course I will." She smiled, and planted a soft kiss on Clark's lips. A short peck turned into a long, deep kiss as she weaved her fingers through his hair, and he drew her even closer to him. When their lips finally parted, Emily drew a breath.

"Your turn." She murmured, pecking his lips one last time before extracting herself from Clark's gentle embrace. She reached for his present, and turned around to face him once more.

"There's probably not much point to the wrapping paper, considering the x-ray vision, but tradition held strong." She said mirthfully, as she held out his present, and he gladly accepted the offering.

"I haven't peaked, I swear." He smiled, before opening the present carefully. The torn wrapping paper fell away to reveal a photo album. With a small amount of confusion, he opened the front cover, and was immediately hit by an avalanche of emotions. Emily had given him an album full of Jason's baby photos, photos of him growing up.

"Oh, Em..Thank you so much, this is so perfect..I-" He couldn't articulate just how thankful he was, so instead settled for hugging her to him with more fervor than before.

"It was no problem at all..if you check in the back of the album, there's a disc pouch with a dvd of all the home movies of him I could get..I thought you might like to watch them."

Clark was speechless. Not only was she incredibly caring, sensitive and, in Clark's opinion, all-round amazing, she was also intuitive. He couldn't get a single thing past her, it seemed. For lack of words, he only hugged her tighter, kissing her on the forehead. His eyes welled with tears of happiness at the thought of getting a chance to watch Jason's first moments, instead of tears of regret for missing them.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" Clark said rhetorically, as they headed to the kitchen for breakfast. She shook her head no, before holding up Clark's gift to her.

"Nope...but you can make up for it by helping me clasp this necklace?"

Grinning impishly, he strode over to her, and helped her with the necklace, before trailing soft pecks from the hollow of her neck to her jawline, before claiming her lips as his once again.

This was shaping up to be a pretty good Christmas.

"I'm kind of nervous about meeting your mother." Emily admitted to Clark as they ascended from the apartment balcony.

"Why? I'm absolutely certain that she'll love you! She's been wanting me to bring someone home for Christmas for so long, she was jumped at the chance to have another Christmas guest...plus, it should be me who's nervous..she'll whip out the photo albums for sure!" Clark's unique way of putting her at ease worked, and she relaxed into his embrace as they flew over the Metropolis skyline.

"Photo albums? This I've gotta see!" She would have rubbed her hands together maniacally, had she not been a kilometre off the ground already..letting go of Clark could cause some complications..she shuddered at the thought, and clung onto him tighter.

Clark mistook her shudder for a shiver, and, ever the gentleman, wrapped her in his cape, shielding her from the harsh December weather. She snuggled into his warmth gratefully, she hadn't realized how cold she was until she started to warm up.

When they finally landed in Smallville, Clark spun out of his cape, and into his sweater and slacks. He knocked on the door with one hand, the other arm holding Emily close. The door opened to reveal a petite grey-haired woman.

"Merry Christmas." She smiled softly at the pair, before drawing them both into a hug. She pulled back to assess Emily.

"So you're the beautiful young lady my son has been raving on about for weeks? I'm Martha." She greeted, and led her inside, leaving Clark on the doorstep, to follow the pair in.

"Hi mom...it's me, your son?" He said jokingly, following them inside and closing the door behind him.

"Oh! Is that you, Clark?!" Martha joked, playing along with the facade. After that, Emily knew she would feel right at home.

"So, Martha..I've heard talk of photo albums?" Emily asked mischievously, shooting Clark a teasing glance.

"Oh, yes! The photo albums, of course. Come, to the living room, dear."

Clark groaned.

"Ma!" He whined, putting his head in his hands. Martha just smiled mischievously, before leading Emily to the loungeroom.

"Make yourself comfortable, Emily. I'll be right back with those albums." She said, before heading upstairs. Clark shot Emily a look of exasperation.

An Hour Later

"You just had to mention the photo albums.."

"Aww, c'mon Clark. You were so cute!" Emily cooed, as Martha laughed.

"I am not cute. I'm rugged and manly." He insisted.

"You're my son. If I say you're cute, you're cute," Martha butted in, "now, time for presents, then lunch."

Clark produced a gift bag, and handed it to Martha.

"These are from Emily and me, Ma." He said, as she pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, both of you. You didn't have to get me anything, Emily." She smiled warmly at the younger woman, and pulled her into a hug, too.

"Nonsense. What kind of guest would I be? And it was no trouble at all, it's nice to have people to buy for." Emily insisted. Only Clark fully understood what she meant by that. Having lost her family, she had spent many a Christmas alone.

"You're such a dear." Martha said, handing Emily and Clark their gifts.

"Thanks Martha." Emily smiled, and Clark said his thanks too.

They had all opened their gifts a few moments later, and Martha stood up.

"Alright. Lunch now."

When they arrived at Lois's, it was a madhouse. Lois was bustling around the kitchen, and abit over her head with all her tasks. Perry and Jimmy sat in the loungeroom, watching the football on the Plasma screen TV.

"Hey guys, Merry Christmas!" Richard greeted, ushering them inside.

"The same to you." Emily smiled, and Clark wished Richard a Merry Christmas, too. Emily handed Richard the expensive bottle of Champagne Clark had picked up in France last week, complete with a ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle.

"Thanks, Em. Your gift is in the kitchen. You too, Clark. Lois! They're here!" Richard called out, and Lois made her way out into the lounge room to greet them.

"Happy Christmas, Lois...do you need any help in the kitchen?" Emily offered, hugging her.

"Oh, god yes. Thankyou! You're coming with me, Merry Christmas, Clark. Thanks for coming. She kissed Clark on the cheek and dragged Emily into the kitchen.

"Hi Jimmy, Perry. Merry Christmas." Clark greeted as he sat down to watch the game with them. Perry made a noncommital grunt as a greeting, eyes fixed on the TV. Jimmy, however, turned to shake Clark's hand and return his greeting enthusiastically.

"Want a beer?" Richard offered, setting four bottles on the coffee table.

"Thanks." Clark said, as they all helped themself to a bottle.

Jason walked into the room at that moment, and paused, taking inventory of the people there.

"Mr Clark!" He said excitedly, "Merry Christmas!"

Time seemed to slow for Clark, as he gazed upon his son again. He would never be able to claim Jason as his son, but it was little moments that gave Clark hope. It could be worse, he reasoned. His son could hate him. And, at least Richard was a decent man, and an exceptional father. Jason was in good hands.

"Hi Jason, had a good Christmas so far? Emily and I brought a present for you."

"Really? Can I open it now?!" Jason's eagerness was enough to make the men in the room chuckle, and Clark nodded in aquiescence.

"Okay, but we'll have to go find Emily, she has it." He replied, and Jason wasted no time in grabbing his hand and tugging gently.

"Let's go then!" He smiled happily, dragging Clark to the kitchen. Clark just laughed and followed his son.

"Emily, Clark says you have a present for me." Jason stated, once they reached the kitchen.

"Clark is right. It's right here on the countertop." Emily smiled, before handing Jason the gift.

"Mr Incredible!" He cheered excitedly, holding the DVD above his head, "thanks Emily, thanks Mr Clark!" He said happily, before disappearing, probably to play the dvd.

"Emily, Clark, feel free to open your gifts." Lois smiled, gesturing to the gift boxes on the counter.

Clark opened his gift first, lifting the lid off the box and lifting the top layer of tissue paper to reveal a black fedora.

"Oh.my.god. Lois, you got him a pimp hat? That's priceless!" Emily laughed, standing on her tiptoes to place the hat on top of Clark's head.

"You wouldn't believe some of the stuff he used to wear, Em." Lois teased, leaning against the bench slightly, watching the couple interact. They hadn't announced that they were official yet, but Lois could tell that there was more than just friendship between the two roomates. And she was happy for Clark, he deserved it.

"Hey! It wasn't that bad!" Clark cried indignantly, holding his hand to his chest, as if wounded. Lois laughed along with Emily.

"Keep telling yourself that, Smallvile," Lois bantered, but smiled to take the sharpness from her words.

"C'mon, Em. Open yours now."

Emily opened her present to find a bath set, complete with candles, massage oil, bubble bath, salts, the works. This would definitely come in handy after a long day at The Planet.

"Thanks Lois, I'll be putting this to good use." Emily hugged her, and as she was pulling away Lois whispered.

"I'll bet you will." She shot a look towards Clark, earning a laugh from Emily. Lois laughed with her, sharing the private joke.

Clark really hated super hearing sometimes, he thought, as he turned his head slightly to hide his blush.

Five hours later found Clark and Emily escorting Jimmy Olsen to a cab, drunk as a skunk. Perry was waiting inside the cab, himself too inebriated to drive home, despite the fact that he was more tipsy than drunk. Clark and Emily wished them both a Merry Christmas, before bidding Lois and Richard goodnight, Jason having bed in bed for an hour already.

When Clark and Emily arrived back at the penthouse, he walked her to her room, and kissed her softly before heading to bed himself. As Emily lay down to sleep, she thought about how blessed she was to have been given a second chance at a happy life. Thanking whatever deity had made it possible, she sighed softly, and snuggled into the covers, praying that she wouldn't awake in her old apartment. For once in her life, things were looking up.


	14. Chapter 14

The song in this chapter can be downloaded free at url/files/1563853url

I really recommend you have a listen ; it is a very beautiful song.

The rehearsal dinner was a mostly silent and subdued affair, as most of the wedding party were tired from last nights' bachelor and bachelorette parties. As they ran through the sequence of the wedding, Emily found herself growing more and more tired. Her eyelids felt so heavy, and sleep was beckoning her. She somehow found the resolve to stay awake, however, and made it through the rehearsal.

When they were finally back at the apartment, Emily and Clark just relaxed on the couch. They reveled in the peace and quiet; something that hadn't known for the past fourty eight hours. No moment lasts forever, though, and Clark had to go on a rescue. This was as good a time as any for sleep, and Emily relaxed on the lounge, telling herself she had five minutes before she has to walk upstairs to her room. Five minutes became never, though, and Clark found her asleep, stretched out across the couch two hours later. He carried her to her bedroom, and tucked her under the covers before heading to bed himself.

One of these nights, they would have some time to themselves..but not likely for the next week and a half, as they would be babysitting Jason after Lois and Richard's wedding tomorrow. While the couple honeymooned, they had asked Clark and Emily to take care of Jason, and although it would cause more disturbance in the house, it was well worth it. He was finally going to be able to spend some one-on-one time wih his son.

As Clark lay down and rested his head on the pillow, he found himself making mental notes, planning for when Jason would be staying with them for the week.

The next morning, Emily awoke early to her clock radio alarm. It was playing one of her favourite songs; Passing Afternoons by Iron And Wine. The song had always touched her deeply, and she spent a few minutes gazing up at the ceiling, letting the words sink into her mind.

When the final note of the song rung out, Emily reluctantly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower. She couldn't be late to Lois and Richard's wedding, no matter how much she was longing for the warmth of her bed already.

She showered quickly, and turned the taps of. Quickly going from warm to freezing cold, she wrapped her towel around herself quickly, securing it before blow drying her hair, leaving her face free of makeup; a makeup artist would be doing her makeup later on.

She walked back into her room, quickly dressing herself in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Her dress was with Lois already. All Emily needed to do now was show up. Resting easy now she knew she wouldn't be late, Emily walked downstairs in search of Clark, and breakfast.

She walked into the kitchen to find both. Clark was dressed and cooking toast. She was surprised to find him in such good spirits; although her and Clark were a couple now, Lois getting married would be hard for Clark to see.

"Good morning." He greeted, placing two plates on the table, before wrapping an arm around Emily's waist, kissing her softly on the cheek. She turned her head to catch his lips in a soft peck before replying.

"Right back at you." And she kissed him again. Clark grinned boyishly, resting his forehead against hers.

"If this is the kind of treatment I get for making breakfast, I might just have to cook every meal from now on." He said, half-joking.

"I wouldn't normally discourage that..but I like cooking way too much to let you have full control of the kitchen. There's also the fact that I'm just as willing to kiss you if it's ime/i making breakfast." She replied.

They sat down to breakfast, and soon finished and were out the door.

**At The Church**

When Clark and Emily arrived at the church, they went their separate ways. Clark, to Richard's room, Emily to Lois'.

While the boys were getting into their tuxedos, the girls were having their hair and makeup done. They put their dresses on one by one.

"Nervous?" Emily asked Lois, knowing her past views on marriage.

"Not at all," she beamed, "..well..maybe just a little. But I'm ready." She affirmed. The two women hugged, before General Lane offered his arm to Lois, and the bridemaids got into position.

Jason and Lucy's daughter Amy were the ringbearer and flowergirl respectively, and took their job very seriously as they walked down the aisle. Lucy, Lienna and Emily followed afterwards, making their way to the front of the church, and standing to the side. The wedding march began, and Lois made her way down the aisle, on the arm of her father.

When Lois and Richard both said 'I Do', Clark found his eyes on Emily, rather than Lois. He had finally moved on.

The wedding reception was loud and rowdy, and many guests made use of the free bar. When Lois and Richard shared their first dance as a married couple, many of the adults could be seen with a look of contentment on their faces, whereas the children were disinterested. After the long night, Richard and Lois disappeared into a Limo, and Clark and Emily brought Jason home.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: There will be some mature content from here on in as Clark and Emily's relationship develops further, but there is not nor will there ever be highly descriptive sex scenes in this story. I'm more of an 'allude to the fact, then fade to black' type of author for the most part. There will be romantic situations, but I assure you they are more purposeful to developing Clark and Emily's relationship than they are to have them 'getting their rocks off' so to speak. Nothing to worry about, really, but I thought I'd warn you, in case you may find yourself uncomfortable.

Jason tired early that night. Clark set up his bedroom for Jason, and tucked the small boy in. He was roped into reading a bedtime story, but he didn't mind. Every second he spent with Jason was precious. After Jason drifted into sleep, Clark sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating.

Clark had always wanted a family, but hadn't dared hope that he could father a child. As far as anybody had known, Human and Kryptonian DNA could not mix. Clark couldn't be happier that this assumption was wrong.

Seeing Lois with a son and fiancee had made Clark jealous, sad, and even a little nostalgic. He remembered his father, all the valuable lessons he had taught him. He wished to pass those lessons on to somebody. Now, he could. But not in the way he had wanted to. He had to do it as an uncle-figure. If there was one thing worse than knowing you could not have a family, it was that you could, but it was out of reach. It belonged to somebody else.

"All I can do is move forward.." Clark murmered to himself. He was beginning to love Emily, and this love seemed somewhat more mature than his and Lois' had been. Despite the fact that pretty much all that Clark and Emily ever did was banter playfully with each other, they understood each other. They were equals. Neither held the other on a pedestal. And it was working out just fine.

"What's on your mind, Clark?" Emily asked softly, standing in the doorway. Clark looked at Jason, checking he was deep asleep before he gently rose off the bed. He walked out into the hallway with Emily, and quietly shut the door behind himself.

"Just thinking about my future." It was a half-truth, and she knew it was. She relented nonetheless. Clark pulled her into an embrace, chin resting on top of her head.

Emily had been doing alot of thinking about her future, too. As wonderful as life had been since she arrived in this universe, the fact still remained that she had no idea why she was here, how she had arrived here, and if she would remain here. The thought scared her out of her wits.

As unfamiliar as this world was, it was the only world she wanted to know. This world held hope, and promise for her. Her past was full of pain, sadness and loneliness. And, given a choice, she had no intention of returning to her old life. Not when things were going so well here.

After a moment, Emily reluctantly pulled away, laying a peck on Clark's chin before trailing her hands down his strong arms.

"You know, we've got to finish that follow up article on New Krypton tonight." She said reluctantly.

"How about," he suggested, hands grasping hers, "I put the finishing touches on the article, and you go run us a bath?" There was no sexual suggestion in his tone, just adoration.

Are you sure? Just 'cause you can type father that a computer can register it doesn't mean it should fall on you.." She questioned, despite how much she wanted that bath. It had been a long day. Clark laughed.

"Sweetheart, all we've got left to do is the Superman Q&A. I've got it covered." He placated.

"How did I ever score such a wonderful boyfriend? A girl could get used to this." Emily smiled, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Yeah..I'm pretty perfect." He rebounded, mock arrogantly. He let go of her hands to flex in a bodybuilder's pose. His goofy smile gave away his playfulness, however. Seeing his perfectly cut muscle tensed made her think things like 'to hell with the article', and she had to tear her eyes away before they lingered too long. Clark lowered his arms, and tilted his head to whisper in her ear.

"You know, you can look at me all you want." His voice was low, playful, and earnest. It was quite possibly the sexiest thing she'd ever heard.

"I can't." She laughed, burying her head in his chest.

"Why not?" His voice was nonplussed, and slightly bemused.

"Because if I do, You'll never get this article done."

"Well, I'm going to go write up the rest of it right now then. Get it out of the way. Then, maybe we can put your Christmas present to good use." Clark suggested, releasing her hands. It took her a long moment to realise just what present Clark was talking about - the massage oil, candles and bath salts.

"Don't keep me waiting too long." Emily forwarded into the bedroom.

She stripped herself of her clothes and donned a silk robe, before gathering the massage oil, bath salts and candles. She ran the taps for the bath first, and once it was at the perfect heat, she added the salts, before she turned her attention to lighting the candles. Once the bathroom was perfectly set, she stepped into the deep tub, dropping her robe carefully onto the floor behind her. She was relaxing, her eyes closed when she felt a soft breeze in the room. A small, content smile.

"You gonna stand there all day Clark, or are you gonna come in?" Eyes still closed. Clink of glass on the edge of the tub, then the water was disturbed.

When she opened her eyes, Clark was sitting across from her, champagne bottle in his hand. His robe hung off the towel rack, still slightly covered in fluff from its last wash.

"You gonna stay there all night, or are you gonna move closer?" His rebuttal was delivered with a playful smile. Yep, a girl could get used to this.

\S/ \S/

The next two weeks passed by quite quickly, with minimal incident. As Emily handed Jason back to his mother, Clark remembered the conversation he had with Jason last week.

"Uncle Clark..." Jason started hesitantly. He clasped his hands in front of him, and directed his gaze downwards.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"I...why am I different to the other kids?" He asked unsurely, sadness in his expression.

"Different to what other kids?" He asked, but he feared he already knew the answer. Jason knew that a normal five year old, or ever a normal grown man could put as much force behind a piano as he had. Most could not even budge it.

"All of them. I..on that boat..he was a bad man. He was going to hurt mommy." Jason guiltily tried to argue his own case. It was a little known fact that Jason had accidently killed a man. It was only known by Lois, Richard, Emily and himself. Though, he was sure Lex Luthor would know of it.

"Jason, look at me." Clark ordered softly. The scared boy lifted his head slowly.

"It was an accident. Like you said, you were defending your mom. She could have been seriously hurt. You did what you had to, out of complete instinct. Nobody thinks any less of you for that, okay?" Jason nodded, and Clark pulled the boy in for a hug.

"Bye Uncle Clark, Aunt Emily!" Jason called out, snapping Clark back to reality.

"Goodbye, Jason." He said fondly. Lois buckled Jason in, before turning to Clark and Emily.

"I can't thank you guys enough for watching him. If you ever need a favour, name it." She hugged both of them, and turned to leave.

"You're welcome." Was the general reply from both of them, and they returned to their apartment.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Blame V-Day for this particularly mushy chapter. =]**

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The next few weeks found Clark and Emily in a whirlwind of business, so much so that when Perry put them on a field assignment, they gladly viewed it as a chance for a holiday.

They were to pose as a married couple on a cruise in the Caribbean. (Emily couldn't help but be reminded of Superman II, but wisely kept silent. No need to embarrass Clark and bring up a painful memory.)

This time, the undercover stint was to investigate an illegal drug transportation ring, smuggling drugs from the Cayman Islands to Florida. Perry's source had told him that from Florida, they were transported to Gotham City. While drug transportation was no surprise, especially the flow of illegal substances into Gotham, there was reason for suspicion as to what the drugs actually were. It was up to Clark and Emily to find out, then expose the drug ring, hopefully eradicating it, or crippling it at the very least.

Lois had gushed with jealousy when she discovered their assignment, lamenting her cold Paris honeymoon, but encouraging Emily to incorporate a bit of romance into the trip.

"Seriously, Em. Take advantage of this. How often will a story land you in the Caribbean with your boyfriend?" She said teasingly, rifling through Emily's wardrobe.

Unfortunately, packing had been left until the literal last minute for both Emily and Clark, due to other journalistic and superhero responsibilities. Not that it was a problem for Mr. Superspeed. Clark had not a worry about being ready for their flight to Florida which left early the next morning, unlike Emily who was on the slight verge of panic. Fortunately, Lois had kindly offered to help her pack, choosing clothes and swimsuits for Emily from her somewhat extensive wardrobe. Holding up a midnight black silk nightie, Lois nodded appreciatively.

"You'll definitely be needing this." She threw it on the bed, on top of the small pile of clothes that has been developing for the past ten minutes. Emily laughed in response, packing it and the matching lingerie set into the suitcase at her feet. She had a packing system - undergarments on the bottom of the suitcase, dayclothes on top of that, and toiletries in the small pouch on the front.

Once the bare essentials were packed, Lois and Emily headed downstairs for a coffee and snack break. They took their coffee and brownies outside to the pool area, sitting on the lounges there. It was a relaxing atmosphere, despite the city's noises. The lights of the Central Business District twinkled colourfully, and reflected off the golden orb that rest atop The Daily Planet. A serene silence hung over their heads. Emily could understand why many thought this was the most beautiful city in the world. To her, it was. She just hoped she could play out the rest of her life in this world.

"So how are things with Clark?" Lois broke the silence, looking towards her best friend. She sipped her coffee to hide her smile. She couldn't have been more genuinely happy that they had found each other.

"They're great. Fantastic, really. He's such a great guy." Emily answered, not even attempting to hide her grin. She couldn't help but feel gushy and romantic when it came to Clark. He made her feel truly loved and valued, something she hadn't ever felt. Something she would never have felt if she had remained in her old world. Of that, she was certain.

"I'm really happy for the two of you. I couldn't have picked a more perfect match, you seem so happy with him, and he's the most relaxed I've ever seen him." Coming from Lois, that meant a lot. She had known Clark for years, and if he was really content, and their relationship had changed his demeanor so dramatically, then that spoke volumes of their bond.

"Thank you Lois. It really means alot to hear that," Emily glanced at her wristwatch, noting that it was almost 9pm. "Damn, we're almost out of time. I'm gonna need to get to bed soon if I plan on waking up at 4am for that flight." Lois nodded in agreement.

"So where's Clark?" Lois asked as they put the finishing touches to Em's packing almost an hour later. Emily shrugged noncommitally.

"Oh, he's around. Probably chasing a lead of some sort, or finalising his travel plans. He'll be home soon." She answered, zipping up her full, overloaded suitcase with Lois' assistance.

"Alright then, I'm gonna head home. Your boy had better be home soon or he won't be able to wake up in the morning!" Lois advised. Emily walked her to the door, thanking her again for her help, and hugging her in farewell. It would be two weeks before they next saw each other.

It wasn't long after Emily changed and finally sank into bed that a silhouette played across the frosted glass doors on her balcony. The door opened quietly, letting in a slight breeze. Emily shivered, feeling the bite of the winter air, despite the feather comforter on top of her. Yes, she was very much looking forward to some time in the Caribbean.

A click of the door closing. Another breeze, more rapid this time. It was't long before Clark was snuggled up against Emily, wrapping his arm around her waist. He was like a space heater, radiating warmth. Ever since Jason had stayed with them for a week, when Clark and Emily had shared her room allowing Jason a room of his own, this had become habit. A habit neither of them had been willing to break when he went home.

"Sorry I'm home so late." He murmered into her ear. She smiled despite herself. He was always so apologetic for a quality that was not only part of him, but what made him so noble and kind a person.

"Mmm, that's okay. I understand your line of work." She quipped, turning to face him. His hair still had the Superman spitcurl. She laughed softly, smoothing it out. "Hey, master of disguise. You forgot one detail."

"I didn't forget. I just couldn't wait one more millisecond to wrap my arms around you."

He was genuinely the sweetest, most caring and passionate man she had ever met. She threaded her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his lips. One thought looped on repeat in her head, as they broke the kiss and she rested her head on his chest.

_Clark Kent, I love you._

"We have to fly out early..." She lamented, tracing circles on his chest with her index finger. She wanted to freeze this moment forever, encapsulated in its perfection. She settled for knowing there would be many more of these moments to come, expecially in the following fortnight.

"Don't worry, my body's alarm clock is failsafe." He assured her amusedly, threading his leg around hers.

His warm hands caressed her back as she drifted off to sleep. By now, it was safe to say...

...she was definitely used to this.

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Reviews, ect? :)


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